Time to Sink or Swim
by BloodFromTheThorn
Summary: Lost and alone, hurt and afraid. When the two Five-0 partners are faced with an old enemy, it becomes a race against time to get to freedom and safety. Steve and Danno whump. FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

Danny's head hurt. His eyes burned within their sockets and for a moment he seriously believed that someone was thrusting a red hot poker through his brain. Without any conscious prompting a small groan escaped his parched lips.

"Danno?" The voice was familiar, but something about the tone was wrong. Danny searched his brain for an explanation but his mind swam, the answer lingering out of reach. Deciding that he needed to solve this riddle, Danny searched his muddled brain for the nerve pathway that would allow him to wrench his heavy eyelids open and assess his situation. After a second of fumbling, he was able to open his eyes just enough to let an intense beam of light hit his retina. Scrunching up his eyes, he groaned again softly as a new pain lanced through his brain.

A hand touched his shoulder with the lightest pressure and shook him gently. The action seemed strange, so completely opposite to the pain coursing through Danny's body. Strengthening his resolve, Danny forced his eyes to open once more, squinting against the glare.

What he immediately realised was that he was nowhere he had been before. The small room was completely unfamiliar. The second thing that Danny noted was that he was not alone in the cramped space, but there was definitely someone beside him. Swinging his head to his right, Danny was able to take in the figure of his partner hunched down beside him.

"Danno?" He asked again, and combined with the ex SEAL's facial expression, Danny recognised the tone that had eluded him earlier. Steve was worried. As soon as that fact dawned on him, fear crept into his own thoughts like a sliver of glass. Anything that had Steve McGarrett worried was definitely cause for concern.

"Wha...? Where are we?" Danny frowned at his partner, realising for the first time that he had no recollection of the events before waking up here. Wherever 'here' was.

"I'm not sure," Steve replied, casting a furtive glance around the room. "Are you OK?" His eyes snapped back to Danny, looking for any sign of injury.

"Yeah, I think so. Apart from the fact I think that my head might be about to spontaneously combust. What do you mean: 'I'm not sure'? How can you not know where we are?" Danny felt his temper igniting, and felt a rant coming. "You know, before I arrive on this pineapple infested hell hole and met you, I never once woke up and had no idea where I was. But then of course I probably should have seen this coming. This, or getting shot. Or mortally wounded. Or incapacitated in some way. Right now we could be anywhere and you don't even seem bothered by that fact! You know what? I'm am 100% not OK and I will remain that way until you get me out of here!" Danny drew in a breath to calm himself.

For a second Steve said nothing, just watched him cautiously. Then: "What makes you think that I'm the one that got us into this mess?" Danny just glared at him, too furious to reply. "Anyway, it's unimportant. Do you remember anything at all?"

"Before waking up? Nothing." Danny could tell from the look that crossed Steve's face that it was the same for him. "OK Super SEAL, what do we do now?"

Steve's response was to stand and cross over to the door on the opposite side of the room. He tried the knob without success then pressed his weight against it. The door didn't budge.

Danny felt his strength gradually returning and he forced himself further off the floor until he was sat upright, his legs spread out in front of him. From his new perspective, he could tell that something was wrong with his partner. Steve, though standing was slightly hunched over, and Danny noticed that his left arm never strayed too far from his ribs, and when it did, Steve's face seemed to clench in pain.

"You alright?" He asked, being careful to watched Steve's face for the uncertainty that always flashed across his face before he lied. Sure enough, it was there when Steve nodded and tried to assure him that he was fine. "OK then, stretch out your left arm," Danny challenged. Steve rolled his eyes, but complied with his wishes.

Well, he tried to. He was able to get his arm to extend about half way before pain reared in his ribs and he flinched into himself against the pain. When his vision cleared once more, he found Danny at his side.

"Ok Super SEAL, sit." The tone of Danny's voice told Steve that this wasn't up for debate so he sat without complaint. That was until he felt Danny's hand on his back, feeling his ribcage.

"Hey, what're y-" Steve cut himself off with a gasp of pain as Danny's probing fingers hit his seventh rib.

Despite Steve's protests and obvious pain, Danny continued his examination, determined to find out the extent of the damage. The seventh, eighth and ninth ribs moved slightly under his touch. Backing off again, Danny watched as his partner panted against the agony, wishing that there was something he could do to help. As soon as the ex SEAL could breathe again he glared at Danny.

"What the hell was that about?" He demanded angrily, his pain and stress making his lash out.

"You have three broken ribs, and you've probably cracked several others. I needed to know how bad the damage was." Danny shrugged slightly, trying to hide his concern behind a blasé attitude.

"Could've just asked me."

"What were the chances of you telling me the truth?" Danny retorted.

Steve never had the chance to answer as the noise of the door being unlocked interrupted their bickering. An eerily familiar voice greeted them.

"Well hello gentlemen. I must say I've missed you."

_Well? This is my first fan fic. so please be nice __ Reviews anyone? _


	2. Chapter 2

_You people are amazing, you know that? Thank you so much for all the kind words :D I have rapidly discovered reviews make the world go round __ I should state that this is set after Hana 'a'a Makehewa. Hope you like the chapter _

"You? How are you here?" Danny's face was blank with shock as he stared on the face of the convict. Steve just looked on in silence, his mind racing through escape routes, how they had been captured in the first place and who would be looking for them.

"I'm here because I have a debt to repay to your good friend McGarrett here," the Chinese Hawaiian stated with obvious glee. Sang Min looked healthier that he had the last time Danny had seen him, and the sadistic glint in his eye told the Jersey native just what the convict thought of the two cops in front of him.

"I told you it was your fault we're stuck here," Danny threw at his partner as anger and desperation welled up. Steve didn't respond. He just stared at Sang Min calmly, not a trace of indecision or worry touching his hard features. After a minute, he seemed to gather his thoughts and his brow furrowed slightly as he considered something.

"Are we on a boat?" Danny gaped at his partner in shock at the question. Of all the things to ask at a time like this. He opened his mouth to rant at his partner, but was cut off by Sang Min laughing.

"Thinking of how to escape? You wouldn't get very far, I promise you. And don't even think about your little gang storming to the rescue. For now they don't know that you're missing and I don't think that they will for quite some time," Sang Min grinned victoriously, baring his teeth at the ex SEAL. Steve remained silent, but Danny could almost hear the cogs working furiously in his brain, trying to draw on his experience to work out how to fix this. "I should probably thank you McGarrett, it's down to some of your old 'friends' that I was able to get my revenge."

"Don't suppose you have an idea of who he's talking about, do you?" Danny glanced back to his partner, who just shook his head. Then he turned his dark gaze on their captor.

"Look, from what you've said, you want me, and I can probably understand why. But you don't need Danny. He was good to you, upheld his end of the deal. You need to let him go." Steve's voice was low and deadly, protective. Danny felt himself warm slightly more to his partner at his display of emotion.

Sang Min was less impressed. He just gestured to someone behind him, then moved out of the way as two heavily muscled men slipped through the too-small doorway. Danny gave an involuntary flinch when one of them approached him and grabbed his upper arm, starting to yank him towards the doorway.

The other meat-head moved towards Steve and roughly hauled him up, drawing a gasp of pain from the young man. Danny tried to get a good look at him, but his view was obstructed, and then disappeared completely as he was dragged through the door.

"Steve!" He shouted back, only to be hauled forward by the man holding his arm. Danny was fairly sure that he was going to have an impressive bruise around his arm and mentally cursed Sang Min all the way back to Hawala Correctional. The curses however were cut off when Danny was wrenched through another door and suddenly found himself on the deck of a sizable yacht. Steve joined him shortly and was positioned beside him. Glancing at his partner, Danny was shocked by what he saw.

Steve's face had completely drained of blood and his skin had turned an odd shade of green. He looked ready to throw up his last meal all over Sang Min's custom made shoes. Despite the obvious pain it caused from his ribs, Steve was breathing heavily, labouring under the act of hauling air into his uncooperative lungs. To alleviate the strain, he was slightly hunched over, a primal instinct to curl into a ball to cope with pain.

"Steve? You Ok buddy?" Steve met Danny's eyes and saw the worry etched into the lines of his face. Unable to find enough air to talk, he simply grinned and winked at his partner to reassure him, and possibly to reassure himself. Though he would never admit it to his partner, this situation was bad. Especially if what Sang Min had said about the rest of the team was true, though Steve was hesitant to trust the escaped convict on nothing but his word.

Deciding not to dwell on that, Steve started to look for anything that he could use to their advantage. Neither of the two cops were bound, but one glance around explained why. The deck held several angry looking guards holding assault rifles, and every single man was pointing his gun in their direction. The point was clear: _you try anything and you become fish food. _

Danny was still at Steve's side and for once was completely silent. His gaze darted wildly between his partner, the guards all around them and the smug face of Sang Min. The worry that had been building in his stomach since waking had increase tenfold and it was a struggle to keep the shivers that wanted to run down his spine at bay.

"Well Commander, are you still thinking of escape?" Sang Min's voice was taunting. "Face the facts: you and your partner are going to be keeping us company for a while yet."

"I thought you were missing us," Steve retorted grimly. "It's not like you have any friends, having ratted out all of your associates."

Danny decided right then that he would never understand his partner, not if he lived 100 years. There Steve was, wounded and vulnerable, with about six guns pointed at him, and he chose to antagonise the bad guy.

Steve didn't see the fist coming, and as it connected with his abdomen there was a split second before he felt anything. Then the tidal wave of pain struck him, literally knocking him off his feet.

Danny saw his partner's knees give out and stepped forward in a desperate attempt to catch him, only to find himself held back by one of the guards. Steve had one hand on the ground in front of him, the other clasped tightly around his ribcage. His breath came in rough pants as the pain ravaged his torso, his vision tunnelling dangerously. From somewhere far away he heard Danny shouting his name, uttering a string of profanities at Sang Min.

It took almost a minute for Steve to start controlling his breathing again, and even after that he knew he still had no chance of getting back on his feet. His ribs were becoming increasingly painful, his thoughts continually being scattered and disjointed as the agony reached a crescendo.

"Maybe now you will realise Commander to keep your tongue behind your teeth. If you want to remain intact that is," the Chinese man hissed at him. The ex SEAL raised his bleary eyes to his captor and felt the rage build in his gut as he took in the face of the man who had helped his father to his demise.

"You really are a son of a bitch, you know that?" The words burned Steve's aching lungs, but they slipped out before he had the chance to consider the retribution he would face.

Sang Min's face lit up with vindictive satisfaction as Steve cried out in pain, his fingers having been crushed under the convict's boot. He felt two of his fingers snap like twigs, twisting painfully under the skin.

"Get off him, you bastard!" Danny was well beyond pissed right now. He might not understand his partner and there were times when he would happily rip Steve's head off, but he didn't deserve this. Struggling against the hands restraining him, the Jersey native tried to lunge for the sadistic villain before him.

"Danno, don't!" Steve's voice, tight with pain, still held enough authority to stop Danny in his tracks. Though his eyes were slightly glazed and unfocussed, the ex SEAL stared at his partner with enough intensity that he got the message across. Sang Min watched the exchange, a dark look clouding over his features.

"I don't think you understand the concept of captivity Commander. You don't give the orders around here anymore." To prove his point, the convict pulled a hand gun from a holster at his waist and put it to Steve's head. Danny froze, an unrecognisable terror seeping into his mind.

"You're going to shoot me then? You've gone to an awful lot of trouble just to smear my brains over the deck of your boat, haven't you?" Steve's smile was victorious, though his eyes retained the defeated look that scared Danny more than anything else.

His faced flushed with anger, Sang Min twisted the gun around in his hand and brought the butt of it down across Steve's face. The force of the blow knocked Steve to the deck, hard, his vision going grey for a good few seconds before blacking out entirely.

The final things the ex SEAL was aware of was the crushing pain in his chest, the pounding of his blood in his ears and the terrified voice of his partner begging him to stay awake.

_Ideas? I'm not too sure about this chapter... I'm aware that there is little to no Danny whump-age, but don't worry, it's on the way! I now intend to get started on the review replies __ Next chapter should be out tomorrow :D_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey, I'm back (even if it is a little later than planned) __ Um to clear something up for the people who have been asking: Sang Min is the man from the Pilot episode who Kono had to strip for. He appeared in later episodes as an informant for Danny and Steve whilst in Hawala Correctional. In Hana 'a'a Makehewa he manages to escape and hasn't been heard of since. Anyway, here is the next chapter as promised:_

In all the movies Danny had seen, people always seemed to wake up gradually. Moaning slightly, tossing and turning, announcing their imminent awakening. Of course, Danny thought sullenly, Steve McGarrett would be the exception.

The Jersey native watched as Steve suddenly gasped, his eyes flying open, his body automatically causing his torso to rise from the ground. The gasp turned to a groan of pain as the sudden movement sparked the throbbing agony in his chest. Danny was at his side in an instant, pushing his shoulders back to the floor and holding him still.

Steve's eyes were shut once more, screwed up in pain, but he was conscious again, and relief flooded through Danny. His partner had been out a little longer than he would have liked.

"How... long?" Steve forced the words out, not having enough air to form a coherent question. It didn't matter, he knew Danny would understand.

"You've been out about 45 minutes. Now stop talking. Just breathe," Danny's hand held Steve's head down, trying to keep his airways as open as possible. Too weak to form a response the ex SEAL concentrated on the movement of air in and out of his lungs. Steve's skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and his body trembled slightly under Danny's hands.

After several minutes, Steve was back in control of himself. His lungs still burned with each breath but his vision was once again clear and his thoughts could run smoothly. Glancing around, he saw that he and his partner were back in the small room from before. When his eyes fell of Danny, he unthinkingly gasped again.

"Danno, what the hell...?" Fighting back the pain, his brow furrowed as he examined his partner's face. There as a gash just below Danny's hairline that was leaking blood down his cheek. His lip was split and deep bruises were already developing, including an impressive black eye. Danny dropped his eyes and looked away, uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Danny could tell that his partner wasn't buying it.

"Danno, tell me what happened. Tell me _everything,_" he ordered sharply. Danny stood and backed off slightly, sighing.

"When you passed out, Sang Min was pretty pissed off. I think he wanted to beat you up some more." As he spoke the words, Danny allowed his eyes to do another quick check up on the ex SEAL, reassuring himself that he was alright. "Since he couldn't do anything more to you, he turned on me for a bit. Started throwing punches and going off about how superior he was." Danny shook slightly at the memory of the unrestrained glee in Sang Min's face as he had beaten him, until it was a struggle for Danny to remain on his feet.

Steve's face was pale and withdrawn. He stared at Danny for a long moment, his eyes taking in the bruises, feeling the all too familiar guilt swell in his gut. He didn't try to quell the emotion, just let it run its course, surprised at the intensity of it. Steve had dealt with a lot of guilt in his life. Guilt over the death of his father, the death of Nick Taylor and now the suffering of his friend.

"I was wrong you know. This isn't your fault, and I certainly don't blame you for it," Danny comforted him, able to read his partner like an open book. Steve didn't respond, and the Jersey native knew he didn't believe him. Regardless, Danny let it go. They had larger issues to deal with. "I don't suppose you've come up with a way out of here, have you?"

"I'm not sure yet. It would help if I knew why the hell we were brought here."

"Does a psychopathic criminal need a reason to kidnap the men who put him behind bars?" Danny was fairly sure that Sang Min was just playing with the two of them for his own enjoyment.

"If this was a revenge hit, we'd be dead and buried by now. No matter what he said about Chin and Kono, they are eventually going to notice that we're missing. Sang Min knows how good they are, and he wouldn't risk recapture without an ulterior motive." Steve explained his logic, and though Danny could see the reasoning behind it, he didn't want to believe it. 'Ulterior motive' meant that their situation was worse than he had thought.

"Wait, didn't he say something about 'your old friends' before?" Steve nodded, then shrugged.

"I knew a lot of people in the SEALs, it could be anyone." Steve didn't seem as concerned as Danny felt. Danny's temper burst into flames again.

"Ok, that's fine then. Sang Min can just continue to beat the living daylights out of us, whilst you try and figure out who you pissed off enough in your past. And knowing the last SEAL buddy of yours I met, this one will probably be just as psychotic as Taylor! And when he turns up? What then? I don't know about you but I did intend to survive until old age. I at least wanted to see Gracie into adulthood!" As soon as Danny's mind thought of his little girl, tears reared in his eyes. He refused to let them fall in front of his partner, who stared at him silently.

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. His eyes were completely unfathomable, even when he was able to force out two words: "I'm sorry."

Danny just ducked his head in acceptance, before moving back towards Steve and sitting beside him.

"How are you ribs?"

"For now, I can cope. So long as my lungs remain intact, I should be alright." To prove his point, Steve tried to push himself to his feet. As soon as he was vertical the blood pounded through his head in a sudden rush and robbed him of his vision for a few seconds. Placing a steadying hand on the wall, the ex SEAL tried to stop himself swaying.

"Woah!" Danny yelled jumping up beside him and grabbing his arm to offer support. "I don't care if you think you could run a marathon, you are sitting down!" Danny was struggling very hard not to sound petulant. Steve tried to shake his partner off, but the movement of his arm pulled on his ribcage painfully.

As it happened, Steve didn't have the chance to sit down again, because at the moment the door swung open. Sang Min stood on the other side, a grin forming on his face when he saw both of his captives conscious.

"Well gentlemen. Back to the world of the living?" Neither man responded, but Steve subtly released himself from Danny's grip, his body pumping adrenaline at the prospect of a fight. The Jersey native's eyes flickered to his partner briefly, taking in the determined set of his jaw, the hands curled into loose fists.

Sang Min stepped into the room with calculated slowness. The move was designed to intimidate, and combined with the glint in his eye, Danny would be lying if he said he was completely unaffected. The feeling grew worse as two guards followed the convict in and advanced on Steve. Even with his ribs, the punch that the ex SEAL threw at the closest man was impressive.

Trying to aid his partner, Danny slammed his elbow into the chest of the other guard, following it up with a blow to his jaw. The guard staggered back, tensing his own muscles.

Having lost the element of surprise, it wasn't too hard for his opponent to overpower Steve. A well timed punch to the stomach and the ex SEAL was on his knees panting for air. The guard moved closer and secured his hands behind his back, pulled out a Glock and put it against his head.

Danny stilled. He wasn't going to risk Steve's life just to try and save his own. He had a lot to live for, but he honestly wasn't sure if he could live knowing he had caused his own partner's death. Not that he would ever admit it out loud.

"You didn't honestly think that you could achieve anything, did you?" Sang Min taunted casually as Danny's hands were restrained.

"Not really. But it felt good anyway," Steve replied calmly, his words strained as he gasped from breath. Danny winced as the convict took a deliberate step towards his partner and raised his hand. Steve didn't even blink at him, just continued to stare up at Sang Min in bleak defiance.

The blow never landed. The convict lowered his fist as a new direction appeared to him, the thought making the grin on his face spread.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh had always been a sound that disturbed Danny slightly, but the feeling was always worse when it was his own flesh. His own face. The punch Sang Min threw his way contained a lot of force, and was deliberately aimed so that Danny could only roll his face ever so slightly to soften the blow. The jab was designed to hurt. Before he could control the reaction a grunt of pain slipped through his clenched teeth.

"Danno!" Steve's eyes flew from their captor to his partner. He didn't care what pain Sang Min turned in his direction, but his partner? That was territory he would rather not cross.

"Worried for your friend Commander? Does the suffering of those close to you hurt?" The anger in the convict's face was unmistakable.

It clicked. The reason that Sang Min was so intent on destroying Steve. The ex SEAL had threatened the convict's family, and there was no punishment on the planet that would satisfy the Chinese man's thirst for revenge.

"That's what this is about?" It would appear that Danny's mind was following a similar wavelength. "Just 'cause Super SEAL over there threatens your family, you try and rearrange _my _face?"

"It's nothing personal detective, I assure you. I really would rather let you go. You upheld our bargain when you didn't need to. But, please understand, I want the Commander to suffer. You happen to be the most effective means of torture."

"Please! Don't do this!" Danny had never seen Steve beg before. He hadn't know the ex SEAL was capable of showing such emotion, especially not in times like these.

Unfortunately for the Jersey native, Steve's words did not have the desired effect, and the convict turned and launched several punches in rapid succession to his torso. Danny crumpled at the waist and had to lean over to protect himself and to breathe properly. Steve's voice was somewhere in the background, and Danny was fairly sure he was yelling something, but to be honest he could have been singing. The sound of his pulse in his ears was blocking out most things.

Yanked upright again by the guard still restraining him, more blows rained down on the detective, beating his chest and face. Breathing became harder and harder as he was winded repeatedly. His vision was going grey, darkening by the moment. The pain was great enough that he could no longer feel the individual blows, they just blended together as Danny's world began to tilt at strange angles. Steve's voice was still there, somewhere in the darkness, laced with pain and sadness.

Just as his vision turned completely black, a final blow hit him square in the face. Unable to hold on any longer, Danny let go, relinquishing his grip on reality. He was out before his body hit the floor.

_So? Just so people know Kono and Chin will come into the story at some point, cause a few people have been asking after them :P Hope you like it __ Thank you for all the great reviews and I'm desperately trying to reply to them all, so if it takes a while I apologize :S Next chapter tomorrow (hopefully) Bye :D_


	4. Chapter 4

_I should probably say at the start of this chapter that one of the affects of concussion is to become very emotional. Trust me, it happened to me once. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter _

**505050505050**

The first random thought that ran through Danny's head was that his hands had been released. Carefully, he reached up to his face, allowing his fingertips to trail lightly over the skin. He winced as pain flared, even at the slightest pressure. The inside of his head felt like a very small man with a very big hammer had been going to town on his skull, and there was some form of buzzing in his left ear.

Groaning, he suppressed the headache as best he could and tried to force his eyes open. Once he was able to see past the light that blinded him, he was able to ascertain that he was in the same small room as before, with one big difference. He was alone.

"Steve?" The words were whispered, the sudden fear for his friend preventing him from screaming the words as he desperately wanted to. The silence that followed was deafening. Though Danny would never admit this aloud, he really wished he could hear his partner's voice tight now, even if it was just to mock him. Panic started to overtake his brain and his heart rate sped in response.

'_Calm down Danno,' _a voice in the back of his mind whispered to him. Danny wasn't sure what was more disturbing, the fact that he was hearing voices, or the fact that the voice he was hearing most definitely belonged to McGarrett.

"Great. Steve has officially driven you off the rails," Danny mocked himself quietly, having a sudden urge to fill the silence.

The Jersey native pushed himself up so his was sitting, steadying himself against the wall when his head squirmed at the slight change in altitude. The emptiness of the room pressed against him, forcing him into a ball, his heart speeding up again. Tears leapt unbidden to his eyes and escaped down his cheeks.

'_Danno, I'll be fine. Stop worrying, you'll make your condition worse. Concentrate on staying awake, staying alert,' _Steve's voice hissed at him. The rational part of Danny's mind told him to listen to what the voice was telling him. If anyone knew how to deal with situations like these it would be the man who had spent 6 years with the SEALS.

"Ok. I'll just stay awake," Danny responded to the voice, trying to think of anything but Grace and where his partner could possibly be.

**505050505050**

Chin glanced at his watch yet again. He picked up his phone and rechecked for messages or missed calls, though there was no chance he wouldn't have heard his phone ring.

Getting up from the chair in his office he started pacing backwards and forwards, his movements jerking with pent up stress. Normally the one to stay calm in these situations, Chin felt out of place with the anxiety the pulsed with his heartbeat.

Steve had made Chin swear not to call him, just in case it put him in a compromising position. The mission was meant to be done with stealth after all; it was why only Steve and Danny had gone. But the pair were over an hour late at checking in. Steve wasn't the kind of person who would just forget to assure his team that everything was alright, and Danny would never want anyone to suffer with waiting.

Chin considered ringing Kono briefly, then thought better of it. She was probably still at her tiny apartment, sleeping off the concussion she'd received at the raid this morning. There was no need to wake her and worry her with a problem that might not even be a problem.

All the Hawaiian native had to go on was the lateness of their response and the strange feeling he felt in his gut that warned him of trouble.

In a rush he sat back in his seat, glancing at the clock again. He would swear that it hadn't moved for ten minutes now. Giving up, Chin pressed 3 on his speed dial and held the phone to his ear.

**505050505050**

Steve felt his hands being secured once more, this time to the back of an uncomfortable metal chair, pinning him in place.

"You son of a bitch. How low can you possibly be to do that to an innocent man?" Steve hadn't really known he could be this angry. Even when he had gone after Hesse, the anger had been placated slightly with the opportunity to track him and bring him to justice. Right now, bound and beaten, there was nothing the ex SEAL could do to get even with the convict who stood over him.

"Ah, temper temper," Sang Min cooed in warning. "You have a visitor. I do believe that you two have met before."

As the convict backed off, Steve was able to see the rest of the room, including a man sized shadow on the far side of the room. When the figure moved into the light, Steve couldn't contain his gasp of surprise.

Staring back at him was Nick Taylor.

**505050505050**

_I know it's short, sorry! I just wanted to get this chapter out today :S I hope it's alright, it's a little rushed D:_


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm late I know, sorry! Please forgive me, I have really important exams in a week so a lot of my time has gone into that :S Until I have the exams out of the way updates are going to be a little irregular, sorry :S After that though I'll be posting hopefully everyday __ Hope you like the new chapter_

Kono sighed heavily, one hand sweeping back the dark locks that had fallen over her tired eyes. Wrapping her arms around her torso, she curled in slightly against the cool night air that blew in from over the ocean. On the horizon she could see storm clouds massing, a deep inky blob against the otherwise empty sky.

"Cuz, sorry to wake you," Chin's smooth voice sounded behind her. She turned rapidly, automatically searching for the comfort she desperately needed right now. His arms encircled her, pulling her close to his muscular chest.

"Any word?" She asked softly, her voice breaking. Chin didn't respond, which was answer enough for the rookie. She nodded once to herself then pulled away from her cousin. "What do we do now?"

Chin was impressed with Kono's ability to become professional at a moment's notice. She was becoming a damn fine cop.

"We retrace their steps. I've already asked for a trace on their phone signals, but without them being on an active call, it's slow going. Of course, if their phones are switched off then we won't have a hope of finding them that way. In the mean time, I think it would be better if we look at their side of the case, see if we can find where they went." Chin's mind was racing through possibilities, but he voiced none of them. Steve and Danny both had their own informers that were anonymous to the others, and if they acted on a lead from one of them, the chances of Chin and Kono finding them were slim.

His worry must have played on his features, because his cousin shot him a knowing look and rubbed his arm in comfort. "We'll find them. I know it," she smiled. Chin grinned back, then turned and headed for the office.

**505050505050**

"You... You're dead," Steve couldn't quite put enough strength into the words. His surprise was had to suppress, and he struggled to come up with an explanation for how this could have happened. All his rational mind could comprehend however that a man he put three bullets into from point blank range was standing grinning at him.

"So I've heard. I think you'll find however, I am quite real." To demonstrate it, Taylor banged one of his fists lightly on his own chest. Defiance rising in Steve's chest once more, his only response was to raise an eyebrow in disbelief. The retaliation was short and brutal, the fist knocking his head sideways and forcing him and the chair to the floor. Steve's shoulder connected sharply with the rusted metal floor, and a small sound of pain escaped him. His ribs jerked violently, reminding his that he had to be very careful not to puncture a lung.

Hands pulled the chair upright again, bringing the ex SEAL roughly upright.

"Real enough for you?" Taylor challenged him. Steve considered rising to the bait dangling before him but then the pain in his side and his shoulder told him that it would not be a good plan. He decided to redirect the conversation.

"How did you survive? Those bullets hit you, I saw it."

"You'd be surprised what you can live through," Taylor answered calmly, as if Steve had asked him about the weather. "Your shots were a little wild, considering you were once a marksman. Only one of them was likely to kill me, and my... _friends _got me away before it did." Though he allowed no emotion to show on his face, Steve mentally leapt at the information. Now he knew that Taylor was still alive, he figured that he must have had inside help.

"You have a mole," he pointed out delicately. Taylor grinned.

"You have informants don't you? What makes you think that the other side doesn't?"

"Maybe the concussion is getting to me." Steve had a feeling that goading Taylor was a bad idea, but at this point the stress was starting to set him on edge. He could feel his body slowly sinking into shock at the beating it had endured. His heart sped. Sweat beaded on his brow. The haze in his mind thickened.

Taylor laughed, his face crinkling in humour. This was not the man that McGarrett had once known, no trace of that Nick Taylor remained. It was the same face, the same voice but the thoughts behind it were alien. Other.

"Why am I here?" Steve was done dancing in circles. One way or the other, they had to fall of the knife edge on which they found themselves. Taylor's face dropped into seriousness.

"Information. And a route off this hell hole."

"I'd recommend a travel agent," Steve supplied, earning himself another stinging punch to his jaw. His vision turned grey and he would have sworn that his brain spun around inside his skull. Mercifully, the shock that was taking hold helped to stifle the pain, but he wasn't sure whether medically that was a good thing. He didn't think it gave him that much time left.

"You're going to tell me how you got to Anton Hesse in Korea. Then I'm going to ransom you to the governor for a safe passage to the mainland." Steve processed the information slowly, his brain not quite able to keep up. The second half he understood, could deal with, but the first part?

"Anton is dead. What use is my information to you?"

"I'll ask the questions," Taylor responded in a hard voice. "Are you going to tell me?"

Steve tried to think this through quickly, but his brain was uncooperative. He couldn't see a reason not to tell Taylor what he needed to know, it wouldn't come back to anyone. At the same time, he had to appreciate that Taylor was no longer one of the good guys, and if he wanted information then it would probably be better to keep that information to himself. Steeling himself to the pain this was sure to bring, Steve pressed him lips together, and shook his head.

"Fine then. You choose pain. We've had the same training McGarrett, you know what I can do to make you suffer. I hope you don't regret your decision," Taylor told him mockingly, before clenching his fists, and getting to work.

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_I hope you liked it __ i know that there's no Danny, sorry! He will reappear I promise. Reviews anyone?_


	6. Chapter 6

_I know that this has taken ages, please forgive me! Exams are actually taking over my life __ Still, here's the new chapter, I hope you like it :D_

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Steve wasn't sure how long he was conscious. The pain that blazed through his torso was almost more than he could bear, but he held his tongue regardless, his strong sense of pride guiding him through. As his awareness faded in and out, his ability to feel the punches and kicks dimmed alarmingly.

He felt cold water being thrown over his head, and the ex SEAL gasped at the pain the move engendered. The sudden intake of air displaced his broken ribs, and he cried out as more waves of crushing agony reared within him.

_Steve... _The voice was quiet and distorted, and Steve found himself struggling to understand if the words had been spoken aloud.

"Steve!" The sound of his name snapped him back from the brink and his vision sought out Taylor, standing over his battered form with a look of grim determination on his face. "You can't pass out on me now buddy. I'm just getting warmed up. You'll probably want to start talking around about now." His words still contained a small shred of hope, which made Steve's sluggish mind question Taylor's resolve to continue to beat him into submission.

"You'll get nothing from me," he slurred, his mouth refusing to cooperate fully. His old friend sighed quietly, then swung another rapid punch at his jaw. Steve had the grim satisfaction of being able to see the punch coming before it collided with his face, knocking him out cold.

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Danny watched in horror as two guards dragged his partner's limp form into the small room that was their prison. The men deposited him unceremoniously onto the hard floor before turning and leaving without a word. The Jersey native scuttled across the room to Steve's side and rolled him over onto his back, his eyes scanning furtively over his still form.

The first thing that he noted was that Steve was breathing, albeit with shallow, uneven pants. Relief flooded through him. Danny then got to work, checking for injuries. It was obvious that someone had beaten the hell out of the ex SEAL, his face was covered with forming bruises and lacerations. No doubt his torso would yield the same results. Continuing his probing, Danny found another broken rib on the opposite side to the others, and what could possibly be a broken cheekbone.

Letting out a small hiss of frustration, Danny cursed Sang Min.

"Wasn't... him..." The voice was faint and waivered slightly, but definitely belonged to his partner.

"Steve? You awake?" Danny asked, putting a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from trying to get up.

"It wasn't... Sang Min," he repeated, his mind still only on the brink of consciousness. Danny frowned as his partner's eyes opened slightly and sought him out.

"Who was it then? One of his associates?" The Jersey native was aware that coherent conversation was a bit much to ask for from his injured partner, but he thought it was worth a shot.

"No... An old friend," the ex SEAL replied, a hint of self-mocking lacing his tone. "You won't like it."

"Thanks for the warning. Now who did this?" He demanded, anger at the culprit building in his gut. Though Steve bugged the hell out of him most of the time, this was not what he deserved, from anyone.

"Taylor." Though his partner's voice was faint, Danny knew he hadn't misheard. In a flash all of his memories of the man ran through his head.

"But... That's not possible. I saw you shoot him. I saw him _die,_" Danny whispered, his rational mind not able to process this new information. Steve smiled slightly.

"So did I," he replied simply. His mind was clouding again, protecting him from the pain that was still reaching him through the haze.

"Steve! You have to stay awake!" It sounded like Danny's voice, but the ex SEAL could no longer see anything. Something shook his shoulder slightly, and a moan of pain found its way to his lips. "Steve!" The voice was fading again. Darkness.

**505050505050**

Chin looked up to see Kono striding towards him. She had a police file tucked under one arm and her phone pressed to her ear, her face taught with concentration.

Just as she reached him, she thanked the person on the other end of the call and hung up.

"Any joy?" Chin asked his cousin.

"I'm not exactly sure," she told him biting her lip hesitantly. "We did get a hit through their phone signals. Danny's is switched off, but the last phone mast that Steve's phone connected to was one near Waialua, very close to the shore." Chin nodded in response, using the table computer to pull up a map of the island. The phone mast in question flashed helpfully at the pair.

"Then I think we might have a lead," Chin thought suddenly. Kono's head snapped up to look at him as he started typing quickly on the table. He pulled up a file that he had been found when looking through Steve and Danny's case notes. A picture of a battered warehouse jumped onto the screen and he tossed it up onto the vertical monitors. "This is what I think Steve and Danny were going to check out this morning. It was the most recent document I could find. It seems this is owned by a Bena Mahawi. He's a local, no previous. Runs a flower shop near the beach at Waimanalo, all legit."

"Wait, Waimanalo is South East. It's the opposite side of the island to Waialua. What's he doing with a warehouse there?" For the second time that day, Chin admired his cousin's professional manor, and her observational skills.

"I think that's what the others were thinking. It would seem that Hosé Mariño, a wanted felon was sighted near the warehouse, and the governor wanted Steve to check it out. That's when Mahawi got flagged up."

"Why did the governor want Five 0 in on this? Isn't this a job for uniforms?" Chin nodded in response, then opened the file on Mariño to show her. She read it through quickly then nodded thoughtfully. "So this guy was dangerous. That could explain it. We should check this warehouse out; see if we can pick up a trail. I don't think anyone could catch Super SEAL without him putting up a hell of a fight. And that's got to leave some trace," she grinned half-heartedly. Chin smiled back at her, but he shared the worry he saw in her eyes. Still, without another comment, he grabbed his keys and led the way out of the building.

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_I hope you liked it! My exams finish tomorrow (yay) so after that updates should be faster :D So back up is on the way, but Steve's in pretty bad shape :S Hmm... Reviews anyone?_


	7. Chapter 7

_I know that I'm really late, sorry! Thank you all for your awesome reviews __ My muse loves them :P Just want to say a special thanks to __**Kimber1461 **__who is just amazing :D and I feel I should also mention __**JoaniexJoany **__who was the one who made me aware of Hawaii Five 0 in the first place. So thanks! Also thanks to all the people who wished me well with the exams, they actually weren't too bad :D Anyway, on with the story:_

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By the time Steve was showing signs of waking up again, Danny had almost reached his limits. The stress of the situation and his worry for his partner hung in the air around him, threatening to fall and crush him at any moment. The Jersey native's hands trembled slightly as he crossed to Steve's side once more.

The ex SEALs breathing was once again laboured and small sounds of pain escaped his lips every few moments. His eyelids flickered, his blue eyes catching Danny's for a moment before he had to screw up his lids against the light. A shard of pain like a knife through the centre of his head struck, and another groan reached his partner's ears.

"Steve? Come on, open your eyes," Danny almost pleaded.

Steve's eyes fluttered again, struggling to open against the glare. When he finally was able to look at Danny, his eyes were noticeably tight with pain.

"Danny? What... What happened?" His voice was laced with stress, a tone that Steve rarely possessed.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I have no idea. They drag you in here, and you remain stubbornly unconscious for over an hour! All you told me was that somehow Taylor is still alive, which for the record means that we're screwed!" Danny knew he shouldn't take his frustration out on his injured partner. Still, the fact that this situation seemed bad to even Steve couldn't be good.

The ex SEAL grimaced slightly as the volume of Danny's voice beat at his eardrums and aggravated the throbbing in his head. Slowly, he began to process what his partner had said. At the mention of Taylor, a thousand memories flooded his head, some old, others much more recent. Suddenly everything clicked into place. He tried to push himself up, only to be stopped by the wall of pain that met his torso at the movement.

With a gasp the SEAL flopped back to the floor, his vision swaying alarmingly as it turned grey.

"Steve!" Danny gasped, using his hand to hold down his partner. "Don't move!" His slightly sarcastic tone added the silent '_obviously' _which Steve didn't really appreciate. When his gasping had slowed and his vision had retained some of its colour, Danny backed off slightly to give him some room, but always making sure he was close enough to stop the fool if he tried to move again.

"Ow," Steve complained quietly. "Any ideas on how to get out of here?" Danny shook his head slowly, casting a grim glance around the room.

"There's no way that we're getting through that door, I tried. The only way to get out of this room is if it's opened from the outside." Steve nodded in response, his mind attempting to form a plan to get them off the ship. Danny noticed his partner's brow furrow in thought. "No, don't you dare!" Steve looked at Danny in surprise.

"What?"

"I know you're forming one of those SEAL plans of yours, that'll only end in one or both of us getting killed or shot or... or..." Danny waved his arm wildly to express his intent when the words failed him. "Besides, you can't even sit upright at the moment, so just stop right there!" Steve laughed slightly at his partner's little outburst, but stopped himself abruptly as his ribs protested painfully. He sucked in a breath to calm himself.

Danny was at his side in a moment, his eyes carefully scanning the controlled pain on Steve's features. His blue eyes were tight with pain, his mouth drawn into a thin line, whilst his nostrils flared with his laboured breathing.

"Steve?" His voice was small. In that one word, the ex SEAL heard every unspoken word that his partner was thinking, every fear that was racing through his head. Fighting for control, Steve wrestled the emotions from his face, and replaced it with a mask of calm. Even if he couldn't get them both out of there, he was at least going to try and keep his partner calm about it.

"I'm fine, don't worry. And I promise not to try anything stupid." He grinned at Danny who raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yeah, right."

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Kono glanced around the corner, careful not to expose too much of her body. Her gun was in her hand, and she was comforted by the familiar weight of the weapon. As much as she found no pleasure in hurting others, she was always glad to have it in situations like these.

The Hawaiian woman looked into the large expanse of space in the centre of the warehouse, her eyes scanning the dark recesses for any signs of movement. When she saw none, she carefully eased herself through the partially open door and crept forward slowly, keeping to the shadows.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw her cousin doing the same thing from the other side of the enormous room. He signalled to her and she crept forward again, seeing for the first time the silhouette of a man off to one side of the room. Chin held up three fingers, then slowly, put them down again. A countdown.

In one movement the pair leapt from their hiding spots, their guns held up before them.

"Hawaii Five-0, down on the ground now!" The man spun around, surprise evident on his face as he took in the guns trained on him. His internal struggle was clear, but after a slight hesitation he dropped to his knees carefully. Kono took in the features she recognized on the face that she had never seen.

"Bena Mahawi, you're under arrest," she told him, as she moved to snap cuffs onto his wrists.

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_There it is for now! Hope you liked the new chapter, I apologize again for it being so late!_


	8. Chapter 8

Despite trying his best to stay awake, by the time the door swung open, Steve's consciousness had faded once more and he barely heard the sound of the locks turning. Danny on the other hand was still very much awake, and though there was a deep fear pumping through him, he didn't move from his partner's side. No matter what happened now, they would stick together.

Sang Min stepped through the small doorway slowly, his eyes calculating the scene before him, ensuring that there was enough distance between him and Danny to keep himself safe.

"So you're awake Detective. I'm impressed. I thought that you would have been out for longer than that." His dark eyes flickered over Danny, taking in the protective way he held himself between the criminal and Steve. "How is our friend doing?" He asked with mock concern, nodding at the prone ex SEAL.

"If you cared about his welfare, then we wouldn't be having this conversation," Danny responded sharply, his stress coiling like a snake, ready to strike. Sang Min let out a humourless laugh, his eyes flashing.

"Maybe so," the Chinese man acknowledged. "Somewhere in your mind you must resent all the things that he has done to you. Anyone would. What I don't quite understand is why you don't resent the man himself." The convict's eyes once again ran over Danny's stance, the set of his jaw, the fire flashing in his eyes.

Danny thought for a moment. It was true that at times his partner drove him mad, completely disregarding all the rules of police work that the Jersey native had promised to uphold. But at the same time, Danny would never regret allowing Steve to pull him onto his father's case, and forcing him into the position of his partner. The ex SEAL might have a big head at times, but he was a good person, and genuinely cared about what he did.

"I don't resent him because I'm not like you. I'm not at the top of my own priorities," Danny to the convict honestly, not really sure why it should matter to him.

"Is that a wise decision? Think about your own situation for a minute. You're trapped, hurt, you know that I'm not just going to let you walk away." Danny was starting to understand. This conversation was designed to undermine his confidence, make him scared of his situation. Despite being a convict, Sang Min was cleverer than most, and much more observant. He knew that Danny was the best route to Steve that he had.

"That won't work." Though the thought had been Danny's the words weren't. He spun around to see his partner's eyes open again, his face tight with pain.

"So you decide to join us McGarrett." Sang Min could see all the pain the man was trying to hide, and his glee at it shone in his face. Steve decided that it gave him a distinctly psychotic look. "You are well I trust?" Neither of his captives bothered to respond. "Well, since you're awake, maybe you're ready to start talking."

Steve almost laughed before he realised that it wouldn't be a good idea. He was doing the best he could not to look pained, for Danny's sake but even he couldn't hide all of it. His chest was on fire and with each breath the inferno got worse. There was also a distinct pain in his cheek, separate to the agony in his head and sharper and more piercing than the other bruises across his face. It felt like a broken bone, but he didn't want to feel around to find out for sure. Despite the aches though, his mind was clearer than it had been, and his determination was blazing once more.

"Go to hell," he spat at the convict. Sang Min's face darkened considerably, and Danny watched his changing expression with alarm.

"What do they want to know?" He asked his partner quietly, not taking his eyes off the threat in the room.

"How I got Anton Hesse, though I'm not really sure why it matters." Steve said calmly, his voice not betraying any stress or anxiety.

"If it doesn't matter, why aren't you telling them?" Danny turned to the ex SEAL briefly, surprise showing on his features. Steve attempted a shrug then hissed at the pain that threatened to send him under again. He could already feel on the outskirts of his mind the fog beginning to descend once more.

'_No, you have to stay awake. Now more than ever. For Danny.' _Steve mentally tried to rally himself.

So quietly that Sang Min couldn't hear Steve whispered to his partner: "What do you think is keeping us alive?" Danny caught on straight away. The information in Steve's twisted mind was the only thing that two of them had that was of value to their captives.

"Guards!" The word snapped the partners from their conversation, and the two of them tensed when three men dressed in black marched into the room. "Bring them both," Sang Min ordered them coldly. Immediately the men moved to the two cops.

Steve still didn't have the strength or the pain tolerance to stand up, let alone fight and could do nothing as he watched the men advance. Danny was in better shape, and balled his hands into fists. The first punch he threw caught one of the men on the chin and was powerful enough to knock him sideways. The other two guards converged on him; one of them aimed a jab for his ribs which he neatly dodged. He was less lucky when a second fist came towards his stomach. He doubled over in pain, winded. The man he had hit lurched forwards and snapped some handcuffs around his wrists.

The other two men moved to Steve's side, grabbing an arm each and physically hauling him to his feet. A strangled cry of pain ripped through his lips, and his vision tilted until it was almost completely swallowed up. Danny was shouting profanities from somewhere in the distance, but the words were too muffled to comprehend.

The ex SEAL was still on his feet, though none of this was down to him. The guards were taking his entire weight as he sagged, unable to stand.

He was barely conscious as he and his partner were dragged from the room.

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_I know that there is no Chin or Kono in this, sorry! They are going to reappear, don't worry. Hope you like it! I have found that due to school work at the moment I just can't get a chapter out every day, I'm doing my best I swear. I promise (and I hope to keep this) that I'll get out at least two-three a week. See you next time! Reviews anyone?_


	9. Chapter 9

Chin stared at the man through the one way glass. Mahawi stared blankly back. Kono walked into the room and crossed to Chin's side, following his gaze to the man they had arrested. Her entire body was taught with stress, knowing that if they didn't find their friends soon then there wouldn't be much left to find. Her cousin reached out and squeezed her hand softly.

"I'm alright," she lied quietly, not wanting Chin to have to worry about anyone else.

"No you're not. I can tell," he grinned slightly.

"How?"

"Because I'm alright too," he offered a small, unhappy smile. Following a sudden urge, she reached for him and pulled them into an embrace. He wrapped his arms around his cousin, glad of her support.

Pulling away slowly, Kono looked back at Mahawi. He hadn't moved or said anything since they had arrested him; he had made no attempt to get away. It unnerved the rookie who was used to seeing the people they caught fight like wild cats to remain free.

"Do you want to talk to him, or should I?" She asked quietly.

"Together?" He offered. She looked at him, thoughts dancing in her eyes. Then after a moment's though, she nodded at him.

**505050505050**

"Hello again Detective! It's a pleasure," Taylor's smile at Danny was not returned.

_It would appear that Steve wasn't rambling then. Taylor survived. _The Jersey native's mind had kicked into 'cop mode' and his panic was fading with the return of logic.

Off to his right Steve shifted slightly as a groan made its way to his lips. The panic appeared once more. Danny's head snapped in Steve's direction, his eyes raging over his partner, taking in the way he slouched, the way his breathing was too shallow and too laboured. Even the act of hauling in air seemed too much for the ex SEAL at the moment, and his skin was covered in a glistening sheen of sweat. Head bowed, face pale, Steve wasn't conscious enough to really comprehend what was going on.

Taylor crossed the room in long strides to Steve's side, crouching down next to him. Danny's heart fluttered in worry for a moment before he was able to control his reaction.

"Back with us I see. Come on Steve, time to wake up," Taylor said, a distinct distaste lacing his tone. Danny didn't quite understand it. Steve shifted some more, then seemed to understand that moving wasn't helping his pain any. Taylor reached up and shook his shoulder lightly. No response.

A grim smile leaked onto Taylor's face and he stood up slowly, glancing over his shoulder at Danny.

"We'll do this the hard way then," he told him, and before Danny could ask him what the hell he meant, the heavily muscled man had swung around, landing a solid punch to Steve's jaw. His body jerked sideways, his chair rocking with the impact. A cry of pain reached Danny, who was shouting profanities at Taylor as loudly as he could.

His mind was fuzzy and there was a ringing in his ears, but Steve still felt the collision. It didn't matter though, that pain was rapidly drowned out as his body lurched, wrenching his ribs violently. The agony reared its head, and fought for his consciousness. But he held on. He could hear Danny's voice, and there was no way that Steve could, in good conscience, leave his partner to face Taylor's wrath alone.

His eyes fluttered open, taking in the scene before him. He was back in the same room as before, Taylor was before him, a strange smile twisting his features. Twisting his head to the left, his eyes touched on Danny, automatically checking for any new injuries. Though there was an obvious pain in his partner's eyes, he seemed ok.

"So you join us. Hello again Steve," Taylor said, triumph crossing his features briefly.

"Taylor." Steve responded coldly, his eyes still darting around the room. Despite Danny's wishes, the ex SEAL was still trying to form a plan to get them out of here. The more he tried though, the more helpless he felt.

"So, are you feeling talkative?"

"Like I told your little friend: Go to Hell!" Steve hissed the words at him, his eyes flashing menacingly. For a brief moment, Danny understood why criminals could be so afraid of Steve. Even now, hurt and battered, the man looked ready to fight a war.

Taylor sighed and shook his head sadly, as though he was disappointed in Steve. _What did you expect? Steve to just give up? Even I know him better than that, _Danny mentally told the ex SEAL.

"Then you may want to take the time to apologize to your friend here," Taylor rolled his head in Danny's direction. The Detective did _not_ like where this was going. Apparently Steve thought the same thing.

"He has nothing to do with this! Let him go!" Taylor just laughed at him. "I swear if you touch him, I _will _kill you. Properly this time," Steve's voice was deadly, his eyes blazing.

"Touch him? Like this say?" Taylor reached out and lightly brushed Danny's shoulder. Steve looked like he was trying to jump out his seat, his mental panic on behalf of his partner numbing the pain slightly. "Or maybe... this?" Before Danny's mind had understood the words a fist collided with his jaw, snapping his head to the left.

_Left handed bastard, _Danny mentally cursed.

"Danny!" Steve's voice was strained in acute panic and fear. "Let him go you son of a bitch!"

"Now why would I do that when he is the best way to get you to talk?" Taylor's eyes glowed with a psychotic glee as he confirmed what he had suspected. Steve cared very little for himself, but for his partner? "You almost got yourself killed trying to protect me in the Stan, remember? You took a bullet for me. I get the feeling you would do the same for your partner." Steve couldn't help himself uttering a low growl of frustration.

"Then you're wrong." Danny had been listening with a growing panic that Steve might give in. He wasn't about to let that happen. "He might have protected you, but that was at war. Steve's nothing but a cop now. Having known him less than two hours he gets me shot and blasted through a window. Then he refused to apologize."

"Your point Detective?" Taylor was growing weary of the Jersey native's speech.

"My safety means very little to him. He's not going to tell you anything through fear over me." Danny was fairly confident that what he had just said was a complete lie, but he had needed to get a message to his partner. _Tell him what you know and I'll kill you myself. _Steve's face didn't show any form of comprehension, but then again, the ex SEAL was good at hiding things like that.

"Well we shall see, shan't we? Where's your limit Steve?" He asked sardonically, before throwing another punch at the Detective.

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_I hope you liked it! For the record I have nothing against left handed people. Also, I'm not sure if Taylor actually is left handed or not, I couldn't remember in which hand he held his gun, so forgive me if I'm wrong. Hopefully, it's not too big an error. Also, I know that there still isn't much Chin and Kono, but there will be soon, I promise. I just didn't want to put the interrogation scene into this chapter. Another side note: sorry to everyone who I haven't responded to about the reviews. I figured you would all be happier with another chapter as opposed to a reply. Anyway, see you next time, and if you really love me, want to leave a review?_


	10. Chapter 10

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything!" He repeated himself. That was twice now.

"There's just one problem with that," Chin responded, his voice low and calm. "I don't believe you." Mahawi's face paled. Kono watched with grim satisfaction as panic and fear registered on the man's face. "Tell us what you know about Hosé Mariño."

For the first time Mahawi looked genuinely confused. "Who?"Chin held up a mug shot of the man in question and both him and Kono saw the recognition in Bena's face in the second it took him to hide it. "Never seen him before in my life," he lied valiantly.

"Look, you don't have a record, which means that you have no idea how things work in prison. If you don't help us now, you'll go down for at least three years for suspected involvement in a double kidnapping. Because you didn't help us, we can let all your new friends think that you ratted them out." The little blood left in Mahawi's face fled. "If you help us though, we can help you. Cut down jail time, keep you safe. But only if you tell us about this man." Chin held up the photo again. His voice was smooth, and Kono admired her cousin's ability to calm the jittery man before them.

Hesitating, Mahawi glanced between the two of them, taking in their emotionless faces. His own face showed his internal struggle. "If I tell you, can you keep us safe?" Kono caught the plural immediately.

"Us? Who else is there?" She allowed concern to seep into her voice, hoping that compassion might be the way forward.

"They have my family. My son is only nine years old." His face suddenly opened, and all the emotions that had been locked away spilled out. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes and his mouth twisted in anguish. Despite trying to be professional about this, Kono's heart bled for this man.

"Don't worry," she told him quietly, her voice as soothing as possible. "We'll take care of all of you. If you tell us where to find them, we'll make sure that they're safe. But you need to help us to do that."

It only took a moment's deliberation, before Bena nodded his head at her. "I can't tell you exactly where your friends are, because I don't know. What I do know is that Mariño wasn't the one who took them." He stopped for a second, drawing in air. "I'll start at the beginning. About six months ago, Mariño approached me. My wife is very ill, and the hospital bills meant that I was desperate for money. When Mariño appeared, I thought all my problems had been answered. He offered me a loan to tide me over, as well as opening the flower shop so that I would have money coming in."

"Did he explain his generosity?" Chin asked. Mahawi shook his head.

"He was always very vague, saying he was from a charity for families of terminally ill patients... The excuses changed, but I was too blind to see it. I was so amazed that someone wanted to help me that I wasn't going to question it." He paused again, seeming to edit out part of his tale. "It was two months ago when he suddenly appeared again. He threatened me that he would harm my family unless I invested in the warehouse. I thought he was just being stupid and I ignored him. By the next week my wife and son were missing. He came back to me, saying that they were safe, but that he would kill them unless I did what he told me to." The tears returned to his eyes. He looked at the two cops in front of him. "What would you have done?" He took a deep steadying breath. "I bought the warehouse. With the deed in my name it was untraceable to Mariño."

"Almost untraceable," Chin amended softly. Mahawi nodded self deprecatingly.

"So it would seem. I thought that was where my input could end, but Mariño said that my debt couldn't be paid that easily. I had to help him with a job of his. That's how I know he wasn't the one who took your friends; he kept mentioning 'our employers.' I'm sorry but I have no idea who they are." He looked like he really did regret this gap in his information. Kono smiled at him in reassurance. "He was going to show his face to the locals in the area, in the hope that someone would call the police in. I don't know how he did it, but he made sure that Five 0 would be the people to respond to the call."

At this, Chin glanced over at Kono. She was thinking exactly the same thing: _another mole? _Mahawi hesitated as he observed the silent conversation, his eyes darting between the two, afraid he had said something that he shouldn't have.

"What happened then?" Chin inquired, prompting him to speak once more.

"We waited. Another man appeared, someone I had never met. Mariño told me that he was one of the people putting us on for the job, but he never told me his name. He said it was for my protection." Mahawi scoffed slightly. "When the cops arrived, Mariño made sure that I was stood in the middle of the warehouse, but him and the other man were concealed. When your friends came in, the others attacked them. They both fought back, but Mariño had a taser. When they were out, he made me help him put them into the back of a truck. After that he told me to leave, that my family would be returned. I didn't believe him."

"Why not?" Kono had found herself wrapped up in the story, and she was truly sorry for this man who had helped to harm her friends.

"After everything he had made me do, would you?" He raised his eyebrows at her and she saw his point. "I wanted to see what was going to happen, so I hid out of sight. I was close enough to hear them talking, but most of it didn't make any sense. The only thing that I understood was _Izanami." _

Chin and Kono raised their eyebrows at this. It was obvious that the word meant nothing to either of them.

"I know it because I used to see it every day before work at the shop. The _Izanami _is a yacht." Mahawi explained. Kono grinned at this news: _Finally, a lead!_

"Kono, get on the phone to the coast guard, find that boat!" Chin ordered her, to which she immediately stood and walked out the door. The Hawaiian native turned back Mahawi. "I'll take you back to holding for the moment. Don't worry, you'll be safe there. And don't worry about your family, we'll get them back safe." Chin offered the man a smile. Timidly, he grinned back.

"Thank you."

**505050505050**

_Yay, new chapter and you didn't have to wait a week :D I know that there is absolutely no Danny and Steve in this chapter, but don't worry, a new chapter shall be out soon. I think some of you should see where this is going now :P So, we're almost at the end, I'm afraid. Only a few more chapters! This story was kind of a tester to see if there was any interest. So, if you want me to write another story after this, let me know! If not, feel free to completely ignore this comment _


	11. Chapter 11

Taylor had been more careful with Danny. When he had beaten Steve, it had been an act of anger and revenge, cold emotion pure and simple. Unrestrained. This time, each blow was designed to hurt, but not to break. He wanted to keep the detective conscious for as long as possible.

Steve was suffering from acute panic and stress. Every few minutes a small noise of pain would escape his partner, and as the noises reached him, a small voice in the back of the ex SEAL's head told him that this was all his fault. Despite the pain that was still very present in his mind, he forced it away, straining in his seat to get free. The bindings that held his arms were tight and cut into his wrists, leaving warm trails of blood over his hands.

"Stop! Please!" He yelled for the hundredth time, but Taylor was immune to his cries. Danny on the other hand, though barely conscious, could hear his partner becoming increasingly desperate. Steve's voice was breaking with the strain of this, and that thought alone was what was keeping Danny in the world of the living. He couldn't abandon his friend.

What the Jersey native couldn't ignore was the pain. It was everywhere, burning him like a fire, raging in his torso. Though he was trying, he couldn't stop the noises of pain that burst from his lips. Taylor was strong and clever. He had specific training in how to make people suffer to tell you what they knew.

Somewhere in the background he could hear Steve still pleading with Taylor, but the man was beyond reason. He was losing control of himself, and each blow was getting stronger. Danny watched the fist flying towards him with a grim satisfaction, knowing this was the last. When the blow came, he was dropped into darkness.

**5050505050**

"Ok, I've gotten in contact with HPD and they have armed men heading for the docks, waiting for us." Kono informed her cousin, having just hung up her phone.

"The coastguard is closing off the harbour as we speak, along with the ones on the islands. The boat isn't disappearing anytime soon. We've also been given the coordinates of the yacht." He grabbed two tactical vests as he spoke, tossing one to Kono. Quickly pulling them on, the cousins made their way out of the building hurriedly, starting the car, flicking on the lights and speeding down the road.

When they reached the harbour, sure enough there were three police cars waiting. Jumping out of their car, the two members of Five 0 quickly took charge, taking three of the best shooters. These were to join them to form a strike team, the remaining men to wait as backup.

Kono was secretly impressed with how easily these men took orders from her. All of them had been in the force for a much greater amount of time, and yet they were doing everything that she told them to. It proved to her just how much an effect Five 0 had had on the island.

"Cuz, you ready? Time to be gone." Chin called over to her. She nodded back, grabbing her gun and jogging over to the boat.

**505050505050**

Steve was truly panicking by the time Danny can around. He was aware that he hadn't been out for very long, but the tight lines crossing his partner's face let Danny know that it had been long enough. In truth the ex SEAL looked like hell. They were both still bound to separate chairs, though Taylor was nowhere to be seen.

"Danno! Are you alright?" Steve's voice was a shade higher in fear.

"You have got to start doing a better job at picking your friends," He responded, his voice tight as he fought to keep the pain out of his tone. It was the same thing he had said after Steve had 'killed' Taylor the first time.

Relief flooded Steve's system, and he couldn't get past the emotion enough to reply. He just smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. Now that the complete terror was fading, the pain returned in force, and his brain lurched in his skull. The broken ribs were constricting his breathing dramatically, and he was aware of his extremities going numb as the oxygen was channelled to his vital organs.

His partner, always too observant, noticed Steve's struggle to keep breathing.

"Yo, super SEAL! Come on, if I have to be awake so do you!" The SEAL in question barely looked over, but Danny heard his attempt to control his breathing. For now, it was all he could do.

Slumping in his chair, Steve channelled all of his previous training for situations like these. What his training hadn't taught him though was what to do if you needed to keep your partner safe. If he had still been in the Navy his choice would have been simple: whoever he was with would have sworn to protect his country and Steve could have withheld the information with a relatively free conscience. But Danno wasn't Navy. He was a cop. A cop with a daughter to go home to. Someone Steve had sworn to himself to protect.

"Steve! Steven!" Danny's fear was only heightened when two guards walked into the room. One crossed over to his and began to untie him. The thought of escape never occurred to him, knowing the Steve wasn't running anywhere. Standing, Danny felt his legs tremble slightly with the effort, and he swayed. The man beside him grabbed his arm in a vice grip, probably adding another bruise to his count.

Steve was more than shaky. As soon as he was vertical his vision swam, becoming an almost permanent shade of grey, the colours leaking from the world. He staggered, and felt someone grab him. Danny's voice was somewhere in the grey, but the words were indistinguishable through the ringing in his ears and the pounding of his head.

The noise that _did _reach him however was unexpected. It was the sharp, unforgettable sound of gunfire.

**505050505050**

_So not the longest chapter unfortunately but it's something I'm thinking that they'll be 15 chapters in this story. I also have an idea for another short fic about H50, and my muse is also playing with an idea for a Merlin story. So yeah Out of curiosity, what nationalities are the people reading this?_


	12. Chapter 12

Danny blinked as he was yanked through a heavy metal door and into the starlight.

_It's night time? Maybe we've been here longer than I thought, _Danny's subconscious seemed to be having a conversation with itself. The majority of his mind though was completely focussed on the sounds of gunfire he could hear. It was muffled, which meant it was either a long way off - unlikely, this yacht could only be so big – or it was inside somewhere on the boat.

Danny started praying to every god he knew of, though this wasn't too many; he had failed RS as a child. If those bullets weren't designed to get him and his partner out of there, then Steve was going to be in serious trouble.

The ex SEAL in question was still upright, though almost all his weight was on the two guards now pinning his arms to his sides. His eyes were open, but they stared blankly into the distance, and Danny would bet that his partner couldn't see anything at all at the moment. The most worrying thing though was the sound of his breathing. The air rasped in and out of his mouth, his lungs barely expanding. Not that he was a doctor, but Danny was beginning to believe that Steve had finally punctured a lung.

"It seems that Sang Min was telling the truth. How strange," Taylor's musing voice reached the Jersey native's ears and he twisted around his guard to face him. His face was shadowed in the dim light, but his eyes shone in defiance and anger. The ex SEAL glared at Danny and Steve with a burning hatred.

"About what?" Danny inquired.

"Your friends." Danny's heart suddenly soared with relief. Help was here! Even in his half conscious state Steve was able to pick up his head at this information. Despite the fact that his vision was fuzzy and grey and the pain that was all consuming, he was able to listen to what was going on. "I should have listened to him." The words from Taylor's mouth were directed internally, but it was obvious that he no longer cared what the two cops heard. Steve's spider sense began to tingle. Once your captive started to spill the beans it meant that things were drawing to a close. Not that he was sad to be getting out of this situation, but he had a feeling Taylor would try his hardest to make sure they didn't leave alive.

"Speaking of which, where is our little friend?" The words were slurred slightly, but Steve was able to make them coherent. It was the best he could do. At the sound of his voice, Danny's head snapped back round towards his partner, aware he was beginning to look like a cartoon.

"Steve!"His vision wasn't clear enough to see much, but the ex SEAL gave a slight nod in what he hoped was Danny's direction.

"Sang Min had..." A sadistic grin crept onto Taylors face, "..._business_ to attend to." Steve shuddered at the thought and he heard his partner curse loudly. "Now all that is left to do is the cleaning up. You know that you can't leave here alive McGarrett, but Detective Williams here..." Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, Steve was able to see the gun Taylor waved in Danny's direction. "I have no quarrel with him. Tell me what I want to know and I give you my word that he goes free, unharmed."

"Let him go then. My people are here, aren't they? As soon as Danny is safe, I'll tell you everything."

"What? Are you crazy? He'll kill you!" Danny was panicking. He struggled against his captors in an effort to go over and slap Steve. Clearly his mind wasn't working straight.

"What guarantee do I have that you'll tell me once he's safe?" Taylor seemed to be genuinely considering this course of action.

"My word." Steve's voice was low and desperate, the words becoming quieter as he began to lose his struggle to remain alive.

"No!" Danny began to fight against the restraining hands in earnest. There was no way he was going to let Steve give his own life to save his. That was something that he couldn't live with. "You want to send me home to tell Gracie that I got her Uncle Steve killed? To tell Chin and Kono?"

"Silence!" Taylor's panic seemed to be brewing as the noise of gunfire grew closer. "I don't think your word is good enough this time Steve." He turned to the Jersey native. "Nothing personal, I promise."

Danny went completely still as he watched the muzzle of the gun swing towards him. Suddenly the world seemed to be moving very slowly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his partner lurch free of his captives and take two steps towards him. He felt, rather than saw, Steve's weight crash into his side as the ex SEAL dived into a flying tackle, the force carrying them both over the side.

There was an explosion of light and sound as Taylor's gun went off.

**505050505050**

Kono ran as fast as she could down the small, dimly lit corridor, knowing her cousin was right behind her. They hadn't expected such a large amount of resistance on such a small yacht, but it seemed that whoever they were against was well prepared.

The door at the end was solid metal, watertight. The two Hawaiian natives had to slow considerably to avoid skidding into it.

"On three?" Chin whispered almost silently. Kono nodded, counting in her head. At the third beat, she pulled the door open wide and the pair of them surged through. Off to the right of the boat there was a loud splash, but the noise was almost immediately drowned out by the gunfire that ignited the still air.

The five guards were down in a flash, leaving a man in dark clothing standing with his back to them. Slowly, he turned around to face the cousins. Taylor grinned at the surprise on their faces as they took in his features, recognising him. Then, very slowly, he brought his gun up to his temple and pulled the trigger.

**505050505050**

Danny's head broke the surface almost straight away, and he pulled in a welcome breath.

"Danny!" The Jersey native looked up in surprise to see Chin's face hovering above him, leaning over the edge of the boat. The Hawaiian's dark eyes scanned the water. "Where's Steve?" Danny suddenly realised that his partner should have been bobbing next to him, and looked around in a panic. Without a word to explain, Danny duck dived, trying desperately to see in the pitch black waters. A pale movement below him caught his eye and he swam towards it with increasing desperation.

Steve, despite all the odds was still conscious. He was still aware, even now of the numerous aches and pains that being beaten had engendered. But now, there was a new ache. Not far above his heart, there was an intense stabbing agony; that made all the other bruises and breaks pale in insignificance.

The ex SEAL also knew that he was underwater and that if he didn't surface soon he was going to drown anyway. How ironic: a SEAL, specially trained in water combat, drowning. A ghost of a smile touched his lips. The darkness beckoned, and he began to drift towards it. There was suddenly something restricting his chest, but he didn't have the energy to work out what it was.

Letting go, Steve floated in to the depths of his mind without fear.

**505050505050**

_I'm aware that this isn't great. It's really late here and I'm really tired, so yeah... sorry! I'll probably redo this in the morning Anyway I wanted to get this out there. Special thanks to Gone2Far, for explaining the 'traffic' tab, and Krishnaa who really made my day So yeah, thank you To the people that asked, I'm from and living in England. Also, as a side note: if you have any ideas for stories you want me to have a go at, feel free to ask Oh, and reviews are like cake to my muse :D (I know that I'm shameless, you don't need to tell me)_


	13. Chapter 13

As soon as Danny's head broke the surface, he sucked in a great gasp of air. His arms were wrapped tight around Steve's chest, and the Jersey native was uncomfortably aware that he was probably doing a lot of damage to the SEAL's broken ribs.

"Danny!" Chin's voice was somewhere behind him, but the detective was using all his concentration and energy just by trying to keep him and his partner above the water.

The Hawaiian observed the way Danny struggled to stay afloat for a moment, before jumping over the railings to help. Swimming over to his friends, he took one of Steve's arms and together, he and Danny were able to pull the SEAL back to the boat.

Scrambling up onto the deck, Chin and Kono leant down to haul Steve's limp form from the water. Never far behind, Danny dragged himself out of the ocean, before flopping down, and focussing on how to breathe.

"Chin, he isn't breathing," Kono's voice was quiet, and remarkably calm. The panic had yet to hit, but she could feel it coming. Those four words had Danny completely aware again, and he hurriedly crawled to his partner's side.

"CPR, now!" Chin was a little further along in the panicking. Without another word he started chest compressions on the younger man, silently willing him to live. Kono elegantly bent her head down for the kiss of life, tears flowing silently down her face. Neither of the two men were going to comment on it.

It could only have been a minute, but it was the longest sixty seconds of Danny's life. With increasing despair, he watched his teammates trying to bring back the man who had saved his life.

Steve coughed. There was water in his mouth, his airways, his very lungs, and he knew he needed air. Hands that he couldn't name helped to roll him onto his side as he expelled the water violently, dragging in desperately needed oxygen. He couldn't hear, he couldn't see.

_Taylor. _As soon as the thought hit, Steve lashed out. He had no idea what was going on, but the last thing he could remember was captivity.

"Steve! Stop, it's us!"

_Danno. It's Danno._ He froze once more, suddenly unsure as to where he was and what was going on. It was when he stopped moving that the pain descended violently. Fire was everywhere, stealing his breath once more, scattering his thoughts wildly. His face and chest smouldered every time he moved them, and his lungs protested whenever he breathed. The real problem though was the crippling agony he felt coming from just below his left collar bone.

"Oh my god. He's been shot!" Kono.

Well, at least that explained the pain. A small groan found its way to his lips, and tumbled into the air.

"Steve? You there?"

"Danno?" The word was very quiet, but there was a sigh of relief from somewhere near his head. Memories suddenly leapt into his head. Drowning. Gunfire. Beating. He struggled to put them into order.

"Steve, you need to hold on OK? Help's coming." Then to someone else in the background: "Make sure an ambulance is waiting at the dock!"

"Are you... OK?" His voice trembled with effort as he forced the words out. The ex SEAL didn't have enough air to breathe, but it was his job to make sure his partner was unharmed.

"Am I Ok? _Am I ok?_" It would seem that Steve had hit a nerve. "You just got yourself shot trying to protect me, then nearly drown! I have to swim after you to save your ass, and now you're asking about _my _health? When you're next conscious I'm going to slap you," he informed his partner.

"I am conscious," Steve mumbled, but the words were garbled with breathlessness. "'Sides, I told Grace I'd look after you." A small smile graced his face. Danny was completely lost for words, and that was saying something. A new level of awe for his partner appeared, though he would never admit that to him.

"Come on, the other boat's here. It's time to leave," Chin's voice was further away, and Danny had to turn around to see the Hawaiian. His face was pale as he regarded his hands. They were covered in Steve's blood.

**505050505050**

Danny flapped his hands at the doctor who was fussing over him. He neither wanted nor needed the help. The adrenaline had burned out long ago, and he was aware the very soon he was going to pass out, but first he intended to find out what was going on with Steve.

Chin and Kono had been trying for over an hour to get some word on how their boss was doing, but the hospital staff seemed determined to shut them out of the loop. Danny made a promise to himself that if no one told them soon then he would just walk in and find out for himself.

"Please Detective, allow me to examine your injuries," the doctor pleaded. He seemed to realise that demanding compliance would not end well for him. "You will be able to see your partner soon."

"Just tell me what's going on," Danny begged. The doctor, who was in his mid forties, with tired eyes regarded the Jersey native steadily.

"If I find out what I can, will you let me treat you?" Danny went bug-eyed at the offer and nodded his head frantically. Without another word the doctor left the room. Chin entered a moment later.

"Still nothing. How are you?" For the thousandth time the Hawaiian took in the forming bruises that covered Danny's face and neck. In truth, the man looked like hell. But Chin wasn't going to say that.

"Not you too," Danny mumbled to himself. "I'm fine!" Chin decided that for his own health, he should leave the lie alone. It was at that moment that the doctor reappeared, his face unreadable.

"It would appear that your friend is still in surgery. He has a punctured lung, and the other one was being constricted. This means that his brain, along with other vital organs have been deprived of oxygen." Danny went pale, but didn't say anything. He needed to hear this. "There would appear to be very slight swelling of the cerebral cortex, but not enough to suggest brain damage." Danny breathed again. "The other main problem is that though the bullet missed his heart, it nicked his artery. This led to a severe loss of blood, that has sent his body into shock. In instances like this it is not uncommon for the kidneys to shut down, and so the doctors are having to be careful to avoid acidosis. However, the surgery so far has been successful, and he should be out of the theatre in a few minutes." The doctor offered them both a grim smile, that all doctors seemed to have perfected from years of delivering bad news.

"What's his prognosis?" Chin asked after a moment of silence.

"It is very hard to say at this early stage. If his wounds have infections, I must tell you that his chances are not good. However, so long as he is strong, he should pull through."

"Then he'll pull through." Danny said the words as much for his own benefit than for theirs. "I've never met anyone so intent on surviving." Chin smiled at him and nodded.

"I need to go and talk to Kono. Be a good boy and let the doctor check you over alright?" The Hawaiian ducked out of the door before Danny could find something to throw at him.

**505050505050**

Danny was very careful as he settled his weight into the hard hospital chair. He had never understood why, at a place where people sat at bedsides all day long, there appeared to be the most uncomfortable chairs known to man.

Putting his musings to the back of his mind, he allowed his eyes to scan over Steve. His partner was pale, and this only served to emphasise the bruises that littered his face and exposed chest. His left side especially was a deep black, though the worst of it was covered by the pristine white bandages.

"Why is it that whenever you decide to go storming in somewhere we end up in hospital?" Danny asked quietly, but his voice held no accusation. Only worry.

The Jersey native had held it together as long as he could. He had let the doctor examine him without a fuss (proving that he really was _fine_), then waited calmly in the reception until he could see Steve. Kono and Chin had allowed him his silence, both preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Now, alone in the small room that smelled of clean, he was falling apart. Slowly, careful not to touch Steve, he put his head on the edge of the mattress. There, with no one to see but the man who had saved his life, the tears welled up and spilled over.

**505050505050**

_Only two more chapters to go, are you excited? I know that the first part of the chapter was pure crap, but hey, I couldn't think of anything better. And I know that Danny was a little whimpy at the end, but hey, wouldn't you be? Hope you like it As always, responses are appreciated. _


	14. Chapter 14

_Hello! Sorry it has taken forever to get this posted, but I'm on holiday and don't have any internet D: Hope you enjoy the chapter:_

**505050505050**

"Brah, you should think about going home," Chin told him quietly. The Jersey native glared at him so viciously that he dropped the subject without question.

Though he wasn't going to admit it, Danny was ready to drop. Three days of mental and emotional stress had completely drained him, but there was no way that he was going to abandon his partner now.

Steve still hadn't awoken, though they had been at the hospital for about 72 hours. The doctors were still cautiously optimistic, but they had warned the 5-0 team that unless the ex SEAL woke up in the next two days, his chances would all but disappear. Danny was too late at blocking the images that filled his mind: what would happen to the team should their boss not make it through this.

This scenario made him shudder so violently that Chin, sitting across the room from him saw it.

"Danny, I know that you want to be here, but you're still recovering from your own ordeal. If anything happens here, I promise that I'll call you. You _need _to go home and sleep." His voice was soft with concern.

"I'm not going anywhere. Steve saved my life. He got me through... _that. _I can get him through this." Since their rescue, Danny hadn't been very forthcoming with what had happened during their brief cruise. It was still too raw and too painful of an experience to confront, and Chin and Kono known better that to force the issue. They had filled him in on what they had found out, but it hadn't been very informative.

They had found Bena's family in one of the warehouses that had been traced back to Mariño, along with several other people who had been kidnapped. Mariño himself had all but disappeared until two days ago, when he made a reappearance at one of his strongholds. There had been several police officers on a stakeout there, and the villain was captured without much of a fight. Danny hoped he got the chance to punch him at least once before he ended up in prison, having recently begun to remember the details of their capture.

He had been able to confirm that the third man at the warehouse had been Sang Min, who had vanished completely. Danny wasn't even sure if he was still on the islands.

The one thing that had been puzzling him was why Taylor had decided to end it all. If he had the connections to survive being shot at point blank range, then escape unnoticed, he would sure as hell have the connections to be smuggled out of prison. It had been Kono who had unearthed some of Taylor's computer files that answered all his questions. He was being blackmailed. It would seem that his _friends _that helped him escape were also the kind of friends that demanded payment at the end- a payment that he couldn't afford. He must have known the whole time that he wasn't going to survive, the information that Steve was never going to give him, his only bargaining chip.

Though Danny was usually a forgiving person, he couldn't quite find space in his heart for Taylor. He might have had crappy options, but he still had a choice. And he chose to kidnap them and beat them half to death.

All his musings were interrupted at that point, as Kono walked in, expertly balancing three coffee mugs. Very early on it had been decided that the watered down brew from the hospital wasn't going to cut it, and so Chin and Kono (as Danny refused point blank to leave Steve) had been making regular runs down to a deli on the corner.

"Thanks," he mumbled at her tiredly as he gently took the cup from her. She passed the second one to Chin, then sat down elegantly in one of the chairs. She was the only one out of the three whose appearance hadn't been drastically diminished by three days at Steve's side. She looked just as pretty as ever, Danny thought to himself, though he'd never say that to her face. She'd probably deck him.

"Any change?" She inquired gently, but there was little hope left in her voice. Chin shook his head at her, then reached for her hand. Danny silently watched the movement, and for half a second experienced a pang of sadness as her realised that he didn't have anyone there to comfort him. He quickly crushed the thought as he reminded himself that Grace would be there soon.

He had wanted to keep this whole thing from his daughter in the beginning, but as time stretched on, that course of action became less and less likely, until he was forced to explain that her 'Uncle' Steve was sick. Unfortunately, she had inherited Danny's habit for tantrums and as soon as she learned that she wasn't allowed to see him, she threw the biggest fit that the world had ever seen. Danny had been able to hold out for almost a day, before he had to cave. So now, Grace would be on the way to the hospital, and Danny was hoping against hope that she wouldn't be scarred by this experience.

**505050505050**

Danny met Rachel downstairs, noticing that this was the first time that he had left Steve's room for more than a few minutes. The world seemed bigger than he remembered.

"Daddy!" Grace sung the word, as she threw herself away from her mother, and into the open arms of her father. Her embraced her tightly, but at the same time with the care that all parents inherited. It was for moments just like this that he had travelled thousands of miles for. He knew, no matter how much he hated this island, he would follow Grace anywhere she decided to lead.

"Hey baby," he mumbled into her hair, before looking over her head and nodding to his ex wife. Rachel had her arms folded tightly around her chest and looked thoroughly uncomfortable. His eyebrows drew together in a silent question.

"How is he?" Ah, that was why he recognised the pose: it was Rachel's worried stance. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he realised that Steve may be right in saying that he named people's expressions too much.

"He's stable. He hasn't woken up yet," he told her, releasing his daughter, and latching onto her hand instead.

Though he hadn't expected the gesture, he was remarkably touched when Rachel reached over and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. Using his one free hand he hugged her back, surprised by his need for her comforting.

"Thank you. Are you going to come up and see him?"

"I would, but I can't right now. I have to go," she told him, genuine remorse in her eyes.

"Maybe another time," he allowed. A smile broke out on her face and she nodded hopefully. "Goodbye."

"I'll pick her up later. Take care," she told him. The warning was more feverent than he would have expected.

"You too."

**505050505050**

Danny had warned her, but that didn't stop Grace gasping in surprise when she saw Steve. His face was not only pale, but had taken on a slight greyish tinge, and the bruises that were now fully developed were only emphasised. There was a tube leading out of his chest, an oxygen mask covered most of his face and he was covered in bandages.

"Danno?" She whispered, and the Detective took her hand and squeezed it gently. She crossed to Steve's side, pulling her father with her. "Can he hear us?"

"I don't know pumpkin. You could talk to him and see," he offered. The frown that creased her face told Danny that he shouldn't have let her come.

"I'm scared," she admitted softly, her voice small.

"Me too, honey." At that she glanced up at him with wide eyes that swam with unshed tears.

"But you're not afraid of anything!" She said the words with so much conviction that for half a second Danny almost believed her. Then he remembered all of this last week.

"I wasn't until I met Steve. You don't think he can be scary?" He worked to keep his voice light and teasing. She glanced by at the ex SEAL.

"Maybe a little," she confessed. Then smiled and laughed. Her laugh was the most amazing sound in his world, and if he had been in his partner's place, he would have woken up just to hear it.

**505050505050**

Steve was floating. He couldn't feel anything at all, just a deep sense of contentment. He was aware that he should probably open his eyes to ascertain where he was, but for now, he was just too comfortable.

Somewhere, very far away, there were voices that he recognised. He couldn't tell what they were saying, but as time went on, he became more and more curious. He struggled to hear, but the words were muffled and faint.

For the first time he opened his eyes, but there was no change. He still couldn't see anything. He was surrounded by complete blackness. In a moment, his contentment faded and a slight panic gripped him. Where was he? He could remember sharp pain, but could feel nothing now.

_Am I dead? _It seemed the only logical conclusion, but, though he didn't have any experience in this, he thought that he felt alive.

"Can we wake him up?" Unlike the other voices, this one came through to him clearly. He clung onto the words, like a lifeline. They were his link to the real world.

"You can try pumpkin." This voice he knew _very _well. His friend. His partner. Danno.

"Uncle Steve?"

_Steve? Is that me? Is that who I was? _He should probably have been concerned that he couldn't really remember his own name, but he was too busy trying to work out what the hell was going on. He had decided that he was definitely alive, but as to where he was, or who, he was lost.

"Come on Super SEAL, that's enough beauty sleep, don't you think?" Danny's voice was the same as he remembered. Light and joking, but underneath it all he could hear the desperation that had infected his friend.

_The SEALs... I was a SEAL. Or was I? Am I one? Why am I sleeping? _Too many questions, with no answers. He wasn't sure why Danny didn't just tell him what was happening.

For the first time he noticed a strange noise that was penetrating the haze that surrounded his mind. It was a beeping, high and jittery, and greatly annoying. As he was panicking, he heard the noise change, become faster and more insistent. As soon as he noticed the change, suddenly there was more noise all around him, a flurry of activity. Somewhere in the background, fainter now, he heard Danny's voice shouting.

"What's happening?" The fear that he heard in those two words was enough to force Steve over the edge of the hell he found himself in. In a voice cracked with disuse and confusion, he was able to utter one word:

"Danno?"

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_Hope you like it :D Next chapter might not be out for a while, sorry! I'll get it there as soon as I can, promise :D_


	15. Chapter 15

_I am a bad person! I'm so sorry I didn't update, life decided to visit me. So, we reach the final chapter! I hope you've enjoyed reading, as much as I've enjoyed writing. This is not the end however, as I will be back very soon with another story, I promise._

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"Danno?" Steve's voice was quiet, broken, but the Jersey native heard it clearly. He'd been waiting to hear it for a while now.

"Steve? You there?" He asked back hesitantly. As soon as he spoke, the heart monitor showed the SEAL's heart fall back into a more regular rhythm. The nurses who had rushed into the room as the alarms sounded quietly moved away from the beds, having realised that nothing was seriously wrong with their patient.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace's bright voice reminded her father of her presence. The little girl darted from his side, to the edge of the bed, her hand automatically grasping his partner's fingers. Slower than she was, Danny very carefully crossed the room, a part of him terrified at what he would see.

Dull and confused blue eyes gazed up at him, and suddenly Danny's hopes soared.

"Steve?"

"W-What happened?" The ex SEAL's voice was soft, and expressed his utter bewilderment. Whenever Steve was recovered, Danny was going to use this moment as blackmail material. As soon as that thought entered his head, the Jersey native had to laugh, though the sound was weak with his relief.

"Finally decided to wake up have you? Grace was getting worried," Danny told him, subtly reminding his partner of the child. He wanted to explain things to Steve, but not when his daughter was in the room. Steve frowned slightly, his eyes darting around until they settled on Grace's angelic face, peering anxiously at him.

"Uncle Steve?" Her voice trembled slightly, her glee having evaporated.

"Hey Gracie! How are you doing?" Steve's voice was coated in false happiness that Danny noticed straight away, but his daughter seemed blissfully ignorant to.

"I'm fine, but Danno says that you've been sick... Are you going to be Ok?"

"You know me Gracie, I'm indestructible," he whispered conspiratorially to her, and then watched as a grin spread across her young face. She looked so innocent and peaceful, that Steve felt the grin leak onto his own face.

As he moved his face, he suddenly became aware of the numbness, not just in his facial muscles but all over. This revelation had his panic rising again, taking hold. Danny watched his partner's darkening face with alarm.

"Monkey, why don't you go and find Steve's doctor?" His daughter looked at him in confusion for a second, before flashing a brilliant smile and darting out of the door.

As soon as the door had swung shut again, Steve let his composure slip from his face. Danny saw the panic once again flare up in his eyes, and quickly moved closer to the side of the bed.

"Calm down you idiot," he scolded gently, watching the heart monitor jump wildly. "Stay calm and I can explain."

"What happened? Why can't I remember?" Steve's voice, though normally smooth and collected, was coated in fear. He was genuinely freaked out by this whole experience Danny realised with some surprise. With his partner's track record, he had assumed that Steve was used to waking up in hospital beds.

"What's you last memory? Where were you?"

"I was... fighting? A warehouse? No, after that..." Steve's brow furrowed as he dug through his memories. "Rocking. A boat... yacht." Suddenly his face tensed and his eyes flew open. "Sang Min?" It was half an exclamation, and half a question. The heart monitor started dancing crazily again.

"What did I say about calm?" Danny hushed him desperately. "What else can you remember?" He didn't want to make Steve recall all those dreadful moments, but the doctors had told him that he was more likely to build up his memory if they let him unlock it himself.

"A room. No windows. A cell?" There was a very deep silence for a moment, and Danny watched as hatred leaked onto the ex SEAL's face. "Nick Taylor." Danny felt his own face tighten, and the corners of his mouth turned down.

"So you remember that then?" His voice was bleak. "Um, I don't know how you'll take this, but he's dead, Steve." Carefully, he examined his partner's face for any signs of distress at this information, but the ex SEAL had closed his eyes, hiding his emotions. It was silent for several moments, and Danny was about to ask if he was ok, but Steve spoke first.

"How?"

"What do you mean?"

"How did he die?" The words were carefully emotionless.

"He, er, shot himself. As soon as he was faced with Chin and Kono, he decided to end it." Danny wasn't entirely sure what to do. He knew his partner wouldn't accept any comforting, but at the same time he couldn't bear watching Steve suffer on his own. Even if the SEAL hated Taylor, once, long ago, he had been his friend.

"Why? Couldn't he have escaped?"

"He could probably have gotten away from us, but not from his... friends. The people who helped him escape were blackmailing him to pay up for their services. That's why he wanted you. The information you had could have bought his freedom from them." Silently, Steve nodded at this information, opening his eyes at last. To anyone else, it would be all but invisible, but Danny saw in the depths of those blue orbs a deep pain. "Are you alright?" The words were out before he thought them through.

"Why are you here?" Danny pulled back in surprise.

"Do you want me to leave?" He couldn't help the hurt that laced his tone. Steve heard it and saw it in his partner's eyes.

"No!" He hurried to reassure. "It's just that... everything that happened... I'm surprised you're not in a hospital bed yourself. You look like hell." Danny scowled at that comment. "But even without that, I would have thought that the last place on Earth you would want to be would be _my_ hospital room."

"Why's that?" Steve tried to see past the words, to understand how his partner was truly feeling.

"You... You don't blame me?"

"Blame you? Of course not!" Danny was horrified that Steve had even entertained the thought. His partner just blinked at him for a moment, letting that sink in, trying to come to grips with it. It had been entirely his fault that Danny had been kidnapped and tortured, and yet the Jersey native was here at his bedside to comfort him. His partner's loyalty touched him in a way that no words could.

It was that moment that Grace decided to return, pulling a middle aged man in a lab coat through the door. Though Steve had visited the hospital several times since returning to Hawaii, he had yet to meet this doctor.

"Hello Commander McGarrett, I'm glad to see you're awake. I am Dr Fellows," he introduced himself pleasantly, smiling warmly at him. Steve nodded at him.

"Why don't we leave these two to talk, Monkey?" Danny suggested to Grace, and subtly exited the room to allow them some privacy. Steve would keep him up to date on anything important, but he wanted to shelter his daughter. Besides, he needed to call Chin and Kono, who had gone back to the office earlier in the day.

"So, Commander, are you in any pain?" Dr Fellows asked as he did a practised check of his vitals and wrote something on the chart at the end of his bed.

"Not really. I take it that there are some drugs keeping me that way, huh?"

"You could say that. You were in a hell of a state when you came in, I can tell you." The doctor shook his head at the memory. He had been in the medical profession for over twenty years now, but he wasn't sure if he had ever seen a case quite like McGarrett's.

"So, what's my injury tally?" Steve's memory was still hazy, and the drugs stopped him from feeling anything below the neck, so he wasn't really sure how bad he was. "And how long have I been here?" He had suddenly noticed that he had no idea _when _it was.

"You came here about 78 hours ago, and have been in and out of surgery for most of that time. You have a bullet wound to the upper chest that hit an artery," Steve suddenly had a flashback of searing pain above his heart, "one punctured lung, and the other was heavily bruised," memories of being short of breath, "and you had fallen into shock by the time you got here. Your kidneys faltered slightly and so have had some dialysis."

"Wow, that's an... impressive list."

"I don't think that impressive would be the word I'd use." The doctor tried to look stern, but a smile broke out on his face.

"So, when can I get out of here?" The oppressive cleanness that Steve related to hospitals was already starting to get to him.

"Woah, hold on there! You've only just woken up! You're not going _anywhere _for at least a week. That's an order." This time the doctor meant it. Feeling the pull of sleep, probably an effect of the drugs, Steve just didn't have the energy to argue. Fellows saw his patient's eyes flutter, and recognized the weariness on his face. "Sleep now commander. Your friends will be here when you wake up."

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"Danno, you have to get me out of here! I'm going to go insane," Steve pleaded for the thousandth time.

"You already are insane! You threw us both off a boat remember?" His partner teased him lightly.

"Not really... I remember saving your ass," he retorted, grinning. Danny rolled his eyes at the ex SEAL, not bothering to respond. For over two days now Steve had been begging to be allowed to leave the hospital, and to be honest Danny couldn't blame him. He was getting pretty sick of the place himself, and he could leave whenever he wanted. Not that he was going to abandon Steve.

"Please Danno!" It was painful to hear Steve beg him, when his only answer could be no.

"You know that you can't. What good does bothering me do? Bother your doctor instead."

"I would but he's not here," Steve pointed out. Danny sighed tiredly.

"Do you want me to get him? You know that he will say no, just like the other hundred times you asked and begged and grovelled. Just accept that you're stuck here."

"All I'm doing is lying in a bed. I can do that at home."

"Tell Dr Fellows that then," Danny said, forcing himself to his feet in order to find Steve's doctor. He was fairly sure that the man had been hiding from him ever since Steve woke up, trying to avoid the incessant pestering to be discharged.

Steve watched his partner leave the room and sighed to himself. Chin and Kono would be back soon, hopefully bringing some decent food. Danny was in no way bitter towards him after what had happened. In actual fact, he had been very protective over him, and was constantly there to make sure that he had everything he needed.

Most of his memories had returned now, though he would have been happier had some of the details continued to elude him. Sang Min was still on the run, and had been a complete dead end in the investigation. Steve also had yet to decide what he thought about Taylor's death. It hurt more than he wanted anyone to know, but at the same time, the ex SEAL knew that this would only be over with his death. No more What Ifs. It was over. He had his friends around him. He was safe.

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_And it's over! I hoped you liked the story! I know I left a load of open ends, but there will be a sequel, so all will be explained (eventually). I have exams in a few weeks and I won't be writing again until after them, but then I have a load of new stories to get out there. Thank you to those of you who are offering me plots, my muse enjoys them greatly :D Hope to see you soon! Final reviews anyone?_

_XxxxxX_


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